Oyewole O. Sarumi |PhD|

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTFOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS

Objectives

Helps you to identify the skills you need to set life and ministry goals which can enhance your prospects, raise your confidence and lead to a more fulfilling, higher quality life.

Plan to make relevant, positive and effective life choices and decisions for your future to enable personal empowerment.

Help in your personal and spiritual growth so that you can be more relevant in the kingdom labour.

"God first. Others second. I'm third."

I’M THIRD

The rare person gets somewhere on purpose.

Everyone gets somewhere in life…

A Portuguese Couple Story

I remember a couple in our church in Ireland when they first arrived, they could not speak English. They realised very quickly that for them to succeed in Ireland they must find a way to learn, understand and communicate well in English. The wife enrolled in an English class and took Cambridge exams and out of twelve people in her class only two passed and she was one of the two. Today, she works in sales in a busy company. They told me they took it upon themselves not to speak their native tongue at home (Portuguese) but speak only English there. The husband works in an English-speaking computer firm and he concluded his degree in the Dublin Business School and went on to obtain a Masters in one of Ireland’s foremost universities.

This couple, yes they are Christians and are children of the Most High and have all the promises in the Bible but they had to develop themselves in order to actualise those promises in their lives and un-lay the wealth of the wicked that had been stored up for them in Christ. Friend, it’s time to rise up and act. It’s time to stop wishing and complaining. It’s time to take responsibility for your personal development and attainment of your goals.

Why

How

What

Organizational Management Basics

The Church

Write Your Response:

Why does your

ministry exist?

Where Are You in Your Garden of Life?

Fred Herman said, “When you’re green

your growing- when you’re ripe, you’re

getting rotten!

Personal Development is….

…..the process of improving oneself through such activities as enhancing employment skills, increasing consciousness and building wealth.*

…is a lifelong process. It’s a way for people to assess their skills and qualities, consider their aims in life and set goals in order to realise and maximise their potential.**

…the conscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding self-awareness and knowledge and improving personal skills.

*http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/personal-development.html

**http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/personal-development.html#ixzz4IiV5dzCs

Making the Unconscious Conscious

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung

Much of personal development is about making the unconscious conscious. It’s always the first part to become conscious of how we really work on the inside. Only then we can get control over it.

For instance, the idea of telling yourself the truth, acceptance, is just the same: to make the unconscious reality, that we may have ignored before, conscious. Just that we can make progress now, while before it wasn’t even on our radar – in was just unconscious. In psychology this is called the four stages of competence:

In psychology, this is called the four

stages of competence:

Unconscious incompetence

The individual does not understand or know how to do

something and does not necessarily recognize the

deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The

individual must recognise their own incompetence, and

the value of the new skill, before moving on to the

next stage. The length of time an individual spends in

this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to

learn.

Quote from Wikipedia:

Conscious incompetence

Though the individual does not understand or know

how to do something, he or she does recognize the

deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in

addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be

integral to the learning process at this stage.

Conscious competence

The individual understands or knows how to do

something. However, demonstrating the skill or

knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken

down into steps, and there is heavy conscious

involvement in executing the new skill.

Unconscious competence

The individual has had so much practice with a skill

that it has become “second nature” and can be

performed easily. As a result, the skill can be

performed while executing another task. The

individual may be able to teach it to others,

depending upon how and when it was learned.

Quote from Wikipedia:

In Personal Development, we are talking about this

process for our whole personality: Taking

responsibility for our lives, change self limiting

beliefs, set a life-vision and some exciting new

goals for our life, get more self-awareness and

improve our mental focus, get more energy and how

to use it intelligently etc.

“What do you do for personal

development?”

Whether you call it personal development, personal

growth, self-actualization, self-transcendence, or

spirituality does not matter. What matters is

realizing that the reason you were born is to

become the best human being you can possibly be.

Personal development is not a tool for reaching a

bigger goal. Becoming a complete human being is

already the biggest and most noble goal you can

aspire to. – August Turak

Personal Development & Personal

Empowerment – The Difference

‘Personal Development’ and ‘Personal Empowerment’ are two areas that overlap.

Personal empowerment is about looking at who you are and becoming more aware of yourself as a unique individual.

Personal empowerment involves developing the confidence and strength to set realistic goals and fulfil your potential. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and a range of skills that are used in everyday situations, but all too often people remain unaware of, or undervalue, their true abilities.

A person aiming for empowerment is able to take control of their life by making positive choices and setting goals. Developing self-awareness, an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses -knowing your own limitations is key to personal empowerment.

Taking steps to set and achieve goals - both short and longer-term and developing new skills, acts to increase confidence which, in itself, is essential to self-empowerment.

Personal empowerment is not a static thing that you

can do once in your life.

Please view personal empowerment as ongoing

personal development.

As circumstances change and develop, and as we

ourselves change and develop, so do our needs for

development and empowerment.

A Theory of Personal Development

There are many ideas

surrounding personal

development, one of

which is detailed here -

Abraham Maslow's

process of Self

Actualisation.

Self Actualisation

Maslow (1970) suggests that all individuals have an in-built need for personal development which occurs through the process called self-actualisation.

The extent to which people are able to develop depends on certain needs being met and these needs form a hierarchy. Only when one level of need is satisfied can a higher one be developed. As change occurs throughout life, however, the level of need motivating someone’s behaviour at any one time will also change.

Maslow (1970, p.383) says that all individuals have the need to see themselves as competent and autonomous, also that every person has limitless room for growth.

Self-actualisation refers to the desire that

everybody has ‘to become everything that they are

capable of becoming’. In other words, it refers to

self-fulfilment and the need to reach full potential

as a unique human being.

For Maslow, the path to self-actualisation

involves being in touch with your feelings,

experiencing life fully and with total

concentration.

Maslow, A. H. (1970), Motivation and Personality, (2nd Edition), Harper & Row, New York.

Christian Personal Development

These definitions failed to add the God factor

which is understandable because they defined only

personal development from world view.

Christian Personal Development is therefore a

process of allowing God and His principles to guide

your conscious pursuit of personal growth through the

expansion of self-awareness and knowledge, the

improvement of personal skills and the development

of others.

Moses’ personal development from his fumbling

start with God in Exodus 3 and 4 to becoming one

of the world’s most effective leaders and servant of

God could only be possible because he allowed

God and His principles to shape him.

The personal development of a creation will not be

complete or adequate without the input of the

creator. God is our Creator, only He can effectively

help us to develop adequately.

It is Your Responsibility

Your personal development is really your personal responsibility.

God told Abraham when He was giving him the Promised Land, God said “as far as your eyes can see, that I have given you”.

Abraham had responsibility to get out of his tent, get on the top of the highest mountain on a sunny day so he could have a clear view and then look northward, and then southwards and then eastward and then westward. That was one of the things he did and reaped the reward of the Promised Land.

You need to take the responsibility to find out and

acquire the relevant information for the path God has

chosen for you either in ministry or career and focus on

it.

Become a lifelong student and have desire to learn

things that will improve your skill in any field of

endeavour, be it ministry, marriage, planning or

anything that will position you for greatness.

Some tools of responsibility include studying,

diligence, & fighting for what you believe and desire.

Personal Development Plan – Key questions

How am I going

to get there?

SMART GOAL !

What are the features of a

Personal Development Plan

Where am I now?• Identifying existing skills/qualifications• Identifying strengths• Identifying weaknesses

What are the features of a Personal

Development Plan

Where do I want to go?

• Identifying long term aims

• Identifying future required

skills/qualifications

How am I going to get there?• Setting timeline

• Setting short-term goals

What are the features of a Personal

Development Plan

The 7 Healthy Goals to Pursue for

Personal Effectiveness in Ministry

There are 7 types of goals you need to know and cultivate if you are going to develop yourself to sustainable level where you will not only be useful to yourself, but to others. They are:

Spiritual -

Social - Relational

Family -

Work/Business/Career

Financial -

Ministerial - KS

Personal - Character

Emotional - Feeling

Pastoral Leadership Academy, Lagos. http://pl-academy.org. Tel: 0803

304 1421

1. Develop the church organization to meet its mission

2. Measure individual and church organizational performance

3. Link training and development to spiritual outcomes

4. Set Clear Expectations – Establishing Measures that are compatible with church organizational goals, and focusing on the “critical few”

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Have a better understanding of who you are:

Gain insight into personal capabilities

Identify strengths and gaps

Begin a process of self-management and self-development

Construct a personal development plan

Accentuate strengths and minimize areas of potential

weakness

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Development ProcessDEFINE SUCCESS

Identifying Church

Organizational Needs

SELF MANAGEMENT

Goal Setting

Implementing a Development Plan

EVALUATE PROGRESS

Measuring Success

Refining Plans

SELF AWARENESS

Understanding StrengthsAnd Weaknesses

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Personal Development

The ability to develop and display your desired

competencies is the result of many factors working

together.

Innate capabilities

(natural ability, personality)

Learned capabilities

(knowledge, experience and skills)

Aligning personal capabilities with church organizational demands

} Personal development requires:

Capitalizing on areas of strength

Managing areas of potential weakness

Continually growing your capabilities

How To Increase Your Effectiveness

There are four steps you can take to increase your

Personal effectiveness as a leader in your current or

future ministry context:

Know yourself as a leader

Know your leadership context

Compare yourself as a leader with the ministry context

Make the necessary adjustments

Step 1: Know Yourself as a Leader

You must have alignment: What you believe must align with the church you serve.

You must know your core ministry values: why you do what you do as a ministry. You must know your core values.

You must know your leadership style: director, inspirational, diplomat, or analytical

Know your capabilities: you God given and natural gifts, passions, temperament, and abilities.

Know your theology -what you believe the bible teaches about ministry

Know your philosophy – what you believe about how the church does ministry, how it does what it does.

Step 2: Know Your Leadership Context

You must know the ministry context in which you

serve: the setting, environment, climate, and culture

You must know the church’s doctrinal beliefs

You must know the core values of the ministry

You must know the leadership style of the ministry you

serve

You must know the church’s capabilities

Step 2: Know Your Leadership Context

You must know the church’s theology and

philosophy of ministry

The church’s ministry circumstances

The church’s level of trust

The church’s power structure

The church demographics and

psychographics

Step 3: Compare Yourself as a Leader

with the Ministry Context

Place your identity next to the church’s identity to

discover whether there is alignment:

Compare:

Beliefs

Values

Leadership Style

Capabilities

Theology and Philosophy

Trust

Step 4: Make the Necessary

Adjustments

Option 1: Leaders can attempt to adjust how they

lead

Option 2: Leaders can attempt to change their

context

Pray for the church

Build up your leadership credibility

Implement leadership development

Work on ministry alignment

Option 3: Leaders can leave the ministry situation.

Why You Need Personal Development

Here are 5 good reasons to incorporate your personal development into your budget.

1-You can’t always depend on the church/employer to train you.Your church or employer has priorities and budgets to respect. If what you need to bring yourself closer to your spiritual and career goals which is not being taken care of by your pastor or boss, frustration and blame won’t help. It’s your future, you must take care of it yourself!

2-Excuses will not help you get ahead

There will always be excuses. Lack of time, children

to take care of, more urgent expenses winking at

you etc. If you always put your personal

development last, you may be missing opportunities

you don’t even know exist right now. By planning

your personal development in your budget and in

your annual planning, you make it a priority and

can enjoy it without guilt.

3-We don’t always make it by ourselves.

When we really need help, (to either develop our

skills or untangle our emotions) it’s a shame to be

confronted with financial issues. If you have an

amount set aside for training, you could use it to

give yourself a push when you need it the most.

Think about it. It could be your best investment ever.

4-Passion is essential to a balanced life

If you can’t find your passion at work or ministry, or

can’t express your creativity, you need to find ways

to do it differently or life will pull you down.

Personal development is also feeding the various

aspects of our personality.

5-You do not know what the future holds.

We don’t know what life holds for us. You could lose

your job, want new challenges or a career change.

It’s your responsibility to develop your interests,

your skills and knowledge to be ready to face any

eventuality, which is part of life.

“…People will never do

ministry that matters until

they know what matters”.

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The Personal Ministry Mission

A personal ministry mission is a statement of what God

wants Christians to accomplish with their lives:

You discover God’s mission for your life through two D’s:

design and direction

Design is based on life experience and God given desires

Ask: What are my God given gifts and abilities and what in

particular makes me distinct from everyone else?

Ask: What is it that bring to any ministry?

Ask : What are my natural and spiritual gifts and passions?

Developing a Personal Ministry Mission

“To develop a personal ministry mission statement we

must combine what we know about our divine gifts, our

divine direction, and other factors such as where and

when we might minister and how this might affect other

people”.

Example of a personal mission statement:

“I desire to be used of God to equip a new generation of

leaders nationally and internationally for high impact

ministry in the 21st century.

Personal slogan:

“Equipping tomorrow’s leaders today”

Biblical Examples of Personal Ministry

Mission Statements

Adam and Eve’s (Gen. 1:28)

Moses (Exod. 3:10)

Joshua (Josh. 1:2)

David (2 Sam. 5:2; 7:8)

Nehemiah (Neh. 2: 17-18)

Jesus (Matt. 20: 28; Mark 10:45)

Paul (Acts 20:24; 2 Tim 3: 10)

What was the

mission of each of

these biblical

figures?

The Personal Ministry Vision

“While a personal mission

helps your people know

where they’re going

personal vision helps them

see where they are

going.”

Discovering a Personal Ministry Vision

It should be clear

It is challenging

Paints a picture of the person’s life and

ministry

Gives the person an idea about the future

Challenges you to answer the question:.”

“What can God accomplish through me to

make a difference in this church and

community”

A personal vision fuels passion in people’s

hearts

Practical Steps to Personal

Development

Practical steps can be taken to enhance personal

development, including:

Organising your time.

Producing a personal CV or résumé.

Undertaking a skills appraisal.

Looking at your transferable skills.

Overcoming barriers to learning a new skill.

Making Personal Development your way of life.

PHYSICALLY – ACTIVE

MENTALLY – ALERT

INTELLECTUALLY – INSPIRED

SPIRITUALLY – AWAKENED

EMOTIONALLY – BALANCED

MORALLY – STRENGTHENED

SOCIALLY - RELEVANT

So as to be a POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE and CONTRIBUTING CITIZEN OF THE SOCIETY.

BECOME A SEED – AFFECT ETERNITY – AWAKEN DIVINITY

What should you do for personal

development?

I won’t suggest you do anything for personal development, but…..

Like the monks, simply live your life.

Build your whole life around personal development.

Make it the only thing I truly care about till you depart to GLORY.

Let pursuing personal development become so habitual that you never think about it.

In this sense everything you’ll do is filtered through the screen of personal development.

Improving Never Ends!

Every day you may make progress. Every step

may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before

you an ever lengthening, ever ascending, ever

improving path. You know you will never get to

the end of the journey, but this, so far from

discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of

the climb.

Sir Winston Churchill

1874-1965

“Man is a mystery. If you spend your entire life trying to puzzle it out do not say that you’ve wasted your time. I occupy myself with this mystery because I want to be a man”. - Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Like a good Trappist monk, Dostoevsky didn’t see personal development as a way to become a great writer, but writing as a way to pursue personal development. And if we want authentic rather than ersatz success in life we must do the same”. August Turak

References Consulted

August Turak. Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks:

One CEO’s Quest for Meaning and Authenticity.

Columbia Business School Publishing; July 2013.